The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's two most-sacred mosques and saw 3.1 million adherents make the pilgrimage here in 2012. What these visitors making the hajj find is a vast land steeped not only in religious tradition but also rich Arab history, impressive oil reserves and striking landforms that set Saudi Arabia apart.
Red Sea and Persian Gulf
The Arabian Peninsula is flanked by two important bodies of water: the Red Sea on the west side of Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf on the east side. Several cities line the Red Sea coast, including Jeddah, which provides direct access to a stunning coral reef. Jacques Yves Cousteau once lauded this region as being alive with "deep clarity, blazing color, and active fauna living under the most arid and least populated of coasts," including manatees, whales and dolphins, and Saudi Arabia promotes diving, snorkeling, swimming, fishing and sailing for tourists. Along the salty Persian Gulf, the Saudi city of Jubail is the launching point for an hour-long boat ride to see Harqus, Karan, Kurayn, Jana and Jurayd, the tiny coral islands frequented by stingrays, octopi and turtles.
Saudi Arabia boasts three major deserts: the Rub' al Khali, which spans 250,000 square miles over the southeast past the border and is still not fully explored; the An Nafud, nearly 40,000 square miles of red sands in the north; and Ad Dahna, an 800-mile strip of red sandy desert linking the north and south deserts through central Saudi Arabia. A visit to the Rub al-Khali, also known as the Empty Quarter, requires travel permission from the government because of its protected status as a natural reserve, but travel passes are usually granted. Guides can take parties through the desert by pairs of 4WD vehicles or camels, and the Saudi government has one stern warning: Don't ever venture into this desert solo.
It's not surprising to look at this desert kingdom and see no permanent rivers cutting through the land. What exists instead are wadis, either a dry riverbed or a river one with intermittent water flow. One of the key wadis in Saudi Arabia is the Wadi Hanifa, a nearly 2,500-square-mile drainage basin near the capital, Riyadh. These wetlands have been the focus of an extensive conservation program aimed at environmental conservation as well as providing a recreation and tourism hub. Wadi Hanifa, Wadi Sahba and Wadi Nisah all feed the breadbasket of Saudi Arabia, Al-Kharj, where farmers produce dates, meat, vegetables, eggs, cheese, fruit and more.
Saudi Arabia is a spelunker's paradise. Snaking beneath the desert terrain of this country is a vast network of limestone caverns with stalactites and helictites. In western Saudi Arabia, lava tubes -- tunnel caverns up to 3 million years old -- have been discovered under nearly 53,000 square miles of lava fields. Just over 90 miles southeast of Ar'ar, near the Iraq border, is the Al Habkah cave system, hosting not just fascinating formations but also wildlife such as spiny-tailed lizards, scorpions, bats, wolves and, in this harsh desert landscape, doves. Saudi caves are in remote locations and appropriate for experienced cavers.
In the southwest of the country, near the Red Sea coast, the Asir Mountains rise to give Saudi Arabia its tallest mountain peak, Jebel Sawda, topping more than 9,500 feet. Jebel Al Helah, near the village of Mohayl, is an extinct volcano. Villages nestled in the Asir mountain region reflect the natural resources of the region, including mud tower and red brick dwellings. Activities in these mountains include hang-gliding, rock climbing, mountain biking and hot-air ballooning at Tathlith in the valley below to the east.
Though millions travel safely to Saudi Arabia each year for business, religious pilgrimage and vacation, the US State Department urges visitors to consider the risk of terrorists who might target both Western interests and Saudi government facilities. Although the department gave kudos to the Saudis for greatly improving security, it also renewed a travel warning in November 2012. Street crime is lower than in the United States, but US citizens are still urged to keep a low profile. Only men are allowed to drive, and both sexes must dress conservatively. Religious police enforce laws on visitors as well as residents.
- CIA World Factbook: Saudi Arabia
- Al Yunaniya: Hajj 2012 most successful despite huge number of illegal pilgrims
- Saudi Tourism Commission: Red Sea
- Saudi Tourism Commission: Persian Gulf
- Splendid Arabia: Saudi Deserts
- Saudi Tourism Commission: Rub al-Khali
- Aga Khan Development Network: Wadi Hanifa
- Saudi Embassy: Al-Kharj
- Saudi Tourism Commission: Caves
- Saudi Caves: Intro
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